Christmas Bird Counts
These annual counts provide a great excuse to get out with friends and freeze. This year was gentler, with much warmer temps and less wind than usual. But the warmer weather seemed to negatively affect the bird numbers and species diversity. I am guessing, but some of my theories are: less need for the birds to form foraging flocks and less elevational migratory movement, both behaviors due to a wider abundance of food and water sources. Regardless, I had a great time on two counts…the New River and the Mount Rogers.
Fox Squirrel
The fox squirrel that first appeared in the yard on December 12 continues to return periodically. This morning, Christmas Eve, it came to the pole feeder in front of the study window, enabling me to take a photo in spite of the cloudy weather.
Blue Ridge Expeditions: Fisher Peak
We began a gradual climb on the trail through woodland cove popular-pine forest and soon picked up the Fisher Peak road which we followed the rest of the way. According to Aubrey,it was originally built by the City of Galax in the 1930's so people attending the Rhododendron Festival could drive to the mountain.It is now used to access the WBRF radio towers.
RAPTORS OF HARVEY'S KNOB HAWK WATCH
This project is a partnership with the Community School of Roanoke and Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch. 5th, 6th and 7th graders of the Community School in Roanoke, VA diligently observed and illustrated the raptors at Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch.
Caterpillars and Pupae
Now that the weather has turned hostile to insects and other arthropods, it's time to empty my folder of stuff to post. I collected a number of caterpillars this fall and have a box of moist potting soil that has the resulting pupae. Some I identified and some not. Here's one that I couldn't decipher.
Listening and Stories: Sharing our World
A Day at the Farm: Stories On Saturday, October 19th, folks gathered at the Matthews Living Historic Farm Museum for its annual Apple Harvest Day. Though slightly on the chilly side, with a bit of sprinkles thrown in, we hosted a steady stream of people of all ages from infants to geezers coming and going throughout the day. Musicians positioned themselves on the porch of the log cabin, and played traditional mountain tunes while people visited and caught up on neighborly news and gossip.
Blue Ridge Expeditions: Mt. Rogers Hike
Saturday was the perfect day for a hike, with a Carolina blue sky, a few puffy clouds and a slight breeze. Ten participants met at Massie Gap for a guided hike to the summit of Mt. Rogers, led by Dr. Phil Shelton and Roald Kirby, program director for Blue Ridge Expeditions. The group was treated to an amazing breadth of knowledge about Mt. Rogers by both Roald and Dr. Shelton.
Hawk Watching with Galax High School
Mahogany Rock Hawk Watch with Galax HS Biology Students. On September 24th, BRDC hosted this year’s final Avian Adventures program at Mahogany Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Teachers Emily Brown and Sam Starkey brought 12 kids for a day of hawk observations and discussions on migration.BRDC guides William Roberts and Scott Jackson-Ricketts began the program with a focus on a map, compass and questions about migratory patterns and the dynamics of energy saving flight techniques.
September sightings
I had several interesting visitors to my moth sheet and porch during September. The first was an American Toad that was obviously looking for a meal.
BRDC's Blue Ridge Expeditions Launches its First Foray
Blue Ridge Discovery Center is proud to welcome Roald Kirby to our team of naturalist explorers and guides. As program director of our new Blue Ridge Expeditions, Roald brings years of outdoor experience and love of our Blue Ridge to the public through a series of walks, guided hikes and nature lore.
Painful garden encounter
For the first time in nearly five years, I have been able to garden again. It became crucial to create a deer free zone, not an easy task...combining hard work and the cost of fencing.
What moths do at night
Because we see moths at lights or resting quietly somewhere during the day, it's easy to forget that many of them sip nectar just like their butterfly cousins. Here are two that visited my butterfly bushes on August 31.
Orange-striped Oakworms
This is the wandering season for oakworms. They come down from the trees and look, sometimes at considerable distances from the trees, for places to pupate in the ground. My wife found one and later I found two more on the back porch. Here's the caterpillar.
